No more need to count down!

Hi everyone! How are you all going?

Well I've been back in Brisbane for over a week now and so you can expect shorter and probably more boring blog posts from me! (With significantly less beautiful scenery!)

On Sunday in Darwin we went to Litchfield National Park. It was about 3 hours drive away but the GPS took us to an unsealed, flooding road so it actually took us more like 4 hours! When we finally got there we drove to Florence Falls which was one part of the national park where you can go swimming. After a short walk through the park down some steep stairs we found the falls. Florence Falls was two waterfalls flowing into a big freshwater swimming hole. There were a fair few people swimming there but it was very beautiful. A few times we swam up to the falls but it was very tiring to get there! I don't have any photos though because I didn't want to drop my phone in the water! But the water tasted really delicious and was a great temperature. There were a few people diving off the cliffs near the falls which we all thought was pretty stupid and the park ranger came and told them off. He wasn't too angry though and had a chat with the offenders about what sights to see next while he had a cigarette!! We left at the right time though, just before we left a whole group turned up with stubbies of beer and smoking and more jumping off cliffs. It was a bit sad seeing a beautiful sacred space being treated like that! But we still had a good time :)

My dinner at Mindil Beach Markets - Massive rice paper rolls!

That evening we went to the Mindil Beach markets. There was some yummy food, I had some barbequed meat and some rice paper rolls. The sunset over the beach was very pretty. The markets were alright but way too crowded!!! I think I prefer the Kelvin Grove markets, really! Home to bed after an exciting day!

Sunday sunset

The next day we had our final show! As always I can't really remember it, but I remember one little boy I chatted to before the show. He was eating a milky way and told me that "Me and Ryan (his friend sitting beside him), we're booby trap guys" I asked him if he'd done any today and he said "yes, some white ones" so I made sure to look out for white things in case they were booby trapped! The audience was great and lots of fun. Great last show. Gosh Darwin is hot! About 34 degrees every day! I couldn't live there!!! Time for lunch and I spent the rest of the day inside in the aircon! For dinner we went to this nice precinct and had Mexican. It was alright but took a bit too long to come out and wasn't the best I'd ever had! Oh well, there were margaritas! Time for the last sleep in a motel bed!

The next morning we checked out at 10am and headed to a little alleyway for breakfast. I had a nutella,strawberry and slivered almond bagel and an iced coffee which was yum but a bit of a sweet overload! We had a look around and I bought some cute new sandals too. Finally it was time to head to the airport!! The flight was alright, a bit boring, I read lots of magazines!

Then we were in Brisbane! It was very exciting getting my bag and going to meet Will at the car! He even bought me flowers (and when I got home there were some from Luisa as well!). Home for a homecooked dinner, beef stroganoff! We even cracked open the Chandon champagne from my birthday last year.

Since then I've finally packed away all my tour things and kind of settling back into day to day life. Which I have to say.... is pretty boring! Looking for a job for something to do but there's no jobs at the moment. Mum was talking to a lady at a frame shop and she said when they put out a job ad for a sales assistant they got 2000 responses! So far I've put in applications for Typo Brisbane City, Cotton On Brisbane City, Starlight Foundation, Typo DFO as well as applications to volunteer at Animal Rescue Australia and today one for the Queensland Museum. I just need something to do otherwise I'll go mad!! Other than that I have an video audition for a circus school in the UK called Circomedia. I have to send in a video application by July 22nd so I'm trying to work out what to do. I need a 3 minute performance but I'm  not sure what to do for it. Spent today trying to find some music. It's a bit frustrating because I get really bored and depressed without anything to do and even after 1 week I'm feeling it a bit! Don't really know what to do about that, especially as it might be a recurring theme in my life!!! I think it's hard being such a busy person that now I don't know what to do with myself. Plus I really like having a community and I think what I'm missing is a sense of belonging. Anyway, at the very least fingers crossed someone wants me to do some volunteer work!!

Also since I've got back I started watching Game of Thrones which fills up some time! haha my parents are addicted they have watched more than me. There is lots of death and boobs in it! And sometimes it's hard to keep track of who is who!

Anyway, that's all that's going on with me at the moment! Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Steph x

Week 12 - The Final Stretch

So this is the sum up of my last full week on tour! I'm in Darwin at the moment which is only a chilly 34 degrees (note the sarcasm!). We are staying at the Luma Luma Holiday apartments which is fine (but we all wish that we were staying at the Mantra across the road!). But at least this is our last lumpy pillow motel room before we come home!

We started the week at the Carnarvon Civic Centre with one show. When the audience came in I was really happy because they seemed to know a lot about Tashi and were talkative and excited. But when the show started it was a different story. Not sure what was going on but they didn't seem like they were with us, almost like we were all in two different rooms! I think they were quite a distracted audience and people kept coming in and out throughout the show. To make matters worse it was so stuffy and hot up on stage especially with the lights shining on us. During the end of the show I started to get a headspin and my hands and feet went tingly, I thought I was going to pass out! Thom had it even worse, he threw up after the show and looked very grey. It was one of the harder shows of the tour and I'm glad we only had one show that day! Afterwards we went and had lunch at a cafe (I had a toasted sandwich and a milkshake). I can't really remember what I did for the rest of the day. I think I watched Masterchef repeats and went for a walk. Had room service, more Masterchef and then bed.

Carnarvon

On Tuesday it was time for our biggest drive of the tour - 643kms to Karratha. We passed lots of mountains with flat tops that looked like they'd been lopped off. There wasn't much along the road, only two roadhouses I think the whole 7 hours. We packed our own lunch and had a little picnic. Hot hot hot! The sun is so searing on your skin even through the tinted car windows. Finally around 330 we arrived at our accommodation for the night, Comfort Inn and Suites - pretty standard hotel room. After dumping my bags I headed back to the others in the carpark. We could hear some yelling and then two other guests ran around the corner with their phones. Thom came back into the carpark from around the back where our rooms were and told us that a little girl had just been hit by a bus in front of the hotel. I think it was a little girl I'd seen as we drove into the street. We cautiously went around the corner and there was a big mining bus and her tiny little body on the ground in front of it. Later from a news story I read I learnt that she was 7 but she was a tiny tiny Aboriginal girl. The bus was a mining bus which was lucky in a way because there were so many witnesses and people to help. The guest from the hotel who ran around earlier was an army officer so he was helpful too. She was still making noise and moving so we knew she was alive which was a bit of comfort. Strangely, a new bus arrived to take the miners away before the ambulance did. It felt like forever before the paramedics arrived but it was probably only about 5-7 minutes. The police and paramedics are so impressive, dealing with stressful, horrific situations in the best and most reasonable way. I got a bit upset when the girl's mum turned up because she was, understandably, distraught. I went and stayed in the bathroom for a bit to get away from it. Eventually they put her in the ambulance and took her to the hospital. Later on from the news article I read that she was taken to a hospital to Karratha in a serious condition and then flown to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctors. At the time of the article she was in a stable condition which was a great relief. It was all a bit full on to experience a few minutes after turning up after a 7 hour drive! Afterwards I felt a bit weird.

Once the road was cleared for traffic again we went to this area by the water which was really beautiful, especially with the sun setting and the purple sky reflecting off the water. We stayed for a bit but there were bugs biting us!! I have lots of insect bites all over me from WA, so itchy!! A few of us went to pretty much the only bar in town and had a drink - $14 for a beer! Mining prices are ridiculous. Then it was time to get our microwave meal from Coles and go back home. I got a delicious creamy risotto, quinoa, spinach thing. We are becoming quite the connoisseurs of microwave meals over the past three months. I was so tired waiting to get back in the car. After the long drive and the bus accident all I wanted was a hug from my Will! But oh well. More Masterchef on TV, then Snog Marry Avoid and Sex and the City.

Sunset in Karratha

 On Wednesday we were up again to drive 3 hours to Port Hedland. Before we left we had coffee at a cafe which said 'No Hi Vis Allowed'! We stopped off at the venue to get some sandwiches from the Tuesday leftovers and then checked in at our accommodation. It was pretty good, we got a free breakfast here as well and there was a pool! The rooms were pretty standard too. After getting some dinner from Woolworths (microwave thai chicken curry and japanese soba noodles) Neridah and I went for a look around the town, checking out the visitors centre, and a lookout. There was a special plaque about a ship that had sunk off the coast of Port Hedland in the 1800s. Apparently one of the guests aboard the ship had on him a Cursed Rose Pearl which was found in Broome. The legend was that whoever owned the pearl was murdered. He boarded the ship with it unbeknownst to the captain and the whole ship drowned (about 200 people). The pearl has never been found and it is believed to have dissolved back into the ocean.

In the afternoon we headed back to the venue for the lighting plot. The theatre was quite nice and intimate which was great. In order to get there we had to drive a fair way, about 20mins into South Hedland, past the salt mines and through a lot of roadwork. Apparently the head tech at the theatre has to pay $900 a week to rent half an apartment in Port Hedland. Mining prices strike again.

Port Hedland Salt Mines - Imagine what it would be like to lick it!

 We didn't have a show until 5pm the next day (random time!), so I spent the day working on job applications and an application for a 3 month physical theatre/circus course in Bristol, UK! I found that Typo in the city has positions so I applied there, fingers crossed. I also put in for Cotton On and emailed an afterschool drama place with my resume.

When we got to the theatre we found out that we had about 25 people in the audience, which was a bit disappointing because originally we had two nearly booked out shows at 1030am and 1pm but all the schools pulled out at the last minute because of NAPLAN. I don't mind playing to smaller audiences (I think because of all the band tours playing to about ten people in a school) but it is a shame because it means people are losing money considering the cost of getting us around, accommodation and food for only 25 ticket sales. The audience were great though. There was an afterschool group that all came and most of the kids were indigenous boys and they all thought it was hilarious! It was nice with a smaller group because it really just felt like a group of people telling a story to another group of people (which is what it is really!). Second last bump out! We also found out that one of our shows in Darwin was cancelled, so now we only have one show at 1245pm. And it's in the 1000 seat theatre, which isn't really suitable for our show. From the sound of it they are very disorganised in Darwin. Seems a bit silly to travel all that way and stay for 4 nights for one show but at least I get to visit the Northern Territory which I've never been to.

On Friday our flight didn't leave until 525 so we had to fill up a whole day in Port Hedland! Neridah, Thom and I decided to go on the tour of the BHP Billiton Mine even though it was $45 (need I say... mining prices). WOW! I wanted to run the tour myself! We drove around the mine site in a bus and while it was good to get inside and see all the machines and goings on, for $45 we expected better. The PA system in the bus was crackly so you could hardly hear anything and the guy doing the talking was just reading off a piece of paper. He didn't even use his voice properly! Or look at us! We all wanted to find out more about the mining process, where the iron ore went to, what the machines did etc. He basically just read out the names of the machines from off the side of them and relayed confusing facts from his printoff. I wanted to go up there and do the job for him! We had a big group of mums and kids with our tour who all seemed to live in Port Hedland. Some of them knew more about everything than he did! One asked if the mine ever shut down, perhaps in the last cyclone? He replied that he was fly in fly out and that he wasn't here in the last cyclone. It was a bit disappointing. I don't understand! I assume they were mine workers but why would you pay someone a mining wage to run a bus tour?? Why not get someone who can actually be a proper good tour guide and pay them less? It didn't make sense to me. I realise that it doesn't really matter to them how good the tour is, it's just an extra way to make money and they don't really need the business anyway. But if you're going to do something do it properly! The best part of the tour was the adorable kids who were talking to us and their mums who were really nice and relaxed and lovely. When we got off the bus the driver said to me "see you later, as long as those kids go with you!". I felt like saying they were the best part of the tour! haha rant over.

BHP Billiton Mine - lots of brown stuff

 After that we met up with the others at the Esplanade Hotel for lunch. I had a steak sandwich which was okay but the menu said toasted sourdough but it was just white bread! Oh well, the fillings were nice. We went to an area called Pretty Pools which is kind of a beachy area a bit like Redcliffe. Finally it was time to take the cars to get petrol and go to the airport. So much hi vis everywhere! All I kept thinking about was Will and knowing one day he will probably be doing this too. I don't know how I feel about that but I guess you have to go where the work is. It felt kind of sad but also... happy? Seeing all these people boarding the planes to see their families (or go on holidays to tropical islands I imagine). It seemed very lonely. I was thinking about my boy always hopping on and off planes going back and forth, living in a little tin house and working in these tiny little towns by himself. But oh well. Such is life. There were all these signs about wearing condoms everywhere, everything feels very regulated and restricted in the mining industry (which is understandable). In some towns the miners aren't allowed to drink or even go into the town. It's a very weird foreign culture for me.

There were about seven of these posters in the ladies toilets alone!

We all thought we were hopping into the normal sized Qantas plane until we got onto the tarmac and saw our actual plane. A tiny little Air North plane! Little planes don't scare me that much but as we tried to land for our stopover in Broome we got a lot of turbulence and then a beeping sound went off. The pilot told us that the mist alert had been activated. We had to ascend again because of the weather and wait ten minutes til it cleared. It was a bit scary and we were all happy to be on the ground (but I'm sure there was nothing wrong really). Broome was a weird airport, just a waiting room and a big outdoor kind of picnic area. Lots of backpackers and tourists everywhere. So many itchy bites on me! I keep finding new ones all the time!

Finally we arrived in Darwin around 11pm. We picked up our hire van (big tarago kind of thing) and headed to our accommodation. Bit of a weird hotel but it will do. Bedtime!

This morning I went down the shopping area and had breakfast and then decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens. Google maps told me it was 15minutes but the entrance was another ten minutes walk from what google maps thought! So I ended up walking about 30 minutes in the sun and the heat! By the time I got there I was so sweaty and hot I didn't want to look at the gardens at all! I bought some water from the cafe and found a shady spot and sat down. After wandering around a bit I went back to the cafe for lunch. I had a yummy fresh Vietnamese salad and a juice. It was a really cute wooden building which used to be the Wesleyan Church. It was fitted out really nicely with old scientific drawings of plants and flowers and simple wooden tables. I read a magazine and relaxed. After being refreshed it was time to walk 30 minutes home! By this time it was 34 degrees!!! The walk wasn't particularly inspiring and when I got home I made a beeline for the pool!! Now I'm sitting in the air con finally back to my normal body temperature! I don't think Darwin is the best place for me to live! (also, apparently the highest recorded temperature in Port Hedland is 49 degrees.... what the!).

Tomorrow we are going to Litchfield National Park and the Mindil Beach Markets so I'm looking forward to that. One show on Monday and then our flight home leaves around 2pm on Tuesday! Soon I will be back in Brisbane (which will be cold comparatively!). I can't wait!

Talk (and maybe see you, Luisa!) soon!

x

Charleville Show

Goodness gracious! Have the last few weeks been full on at school! Reports are due soon, so I've been madly working away, assessing kids, then assessing them in something else, then doing more assessment!!! On top of that, we've had to do entries for the show. My class did handwriting (we won first, second and third for that!) and a painting (which we won first in.). The entries are taken from all over the place, all of the neighbouring towns enter their stuff, so I was pretty proud of my kids! They also won a tonne of stuff in the cooking sections and photography. So I spent about 3 hours there today at lunch time, some of the year 7s conned Leigh, Jess and me to get on a ride with them. (Stupid decision, I've been feeling ill all afternoon!). After that I went home and had a nap, what else are you supposed to do on a show holiday? And went back for fireworks at 7. It was a typical country show and pretty much exactly like the Canungra show, even had some of the same food stalls!

The rodeo is tomorrow night, however I'll miss it because I'll be in Brisbane for my graduation!!!!! I'll have to post some pictures of that as well!

Lots of love and hugs!
Erin xxx

PS. Steph, you and Luisa will have to get together one night and we can three way skype with Bec! 

PPS. Sorry, this post was just a continuation of random thoughts! It's 11:15 on a Friday night and I still haven't even started packing! :D

Week 11 - Nearly Home!

Hi everyone! I'm in Carnarvon at the moment which is apparently "a tropical oasis situated approximately 904km north of Perth on the west coast". There are currently 3 to 4 flies in my room and the temperature is about 26 degrees with a cool wind. This past week saw us heading to Bunbury, Mandurah, Geraldton and Carnarvon - five towns in one week (if you include Margaret River where we set off from).

On our Sunday off in Margaret River we had a fantastic day, taking in some magnificent caves, fancy wineries and a sunset at the beach to finish it off. Fi, Neridah, Cam and I woke up before the others and ventured to Mammoth Cave which was about 15 minutes out of town. The fee was about $22 and for that you got to go into the cave with an audio headset that gave you information about the cave and played spooky music and had interviews from scientists. I don't remember ever going to a cave like this, with stalectites and speleothems. It was all lit up and it was amazing! I would love to visit more caves, perhaps the Jenolan Caves which the others said were even more impressive. Some of the coolest things about the caves were that they found bones and remnants of various superfauna - which are massive animals from the past. This included a giant kangaroo, and something I thought was pretty cool - the marsupial lion. There was even the jaw of one of these superfauna jutting out of the cave wall. I tried to take some photos but they didn't turn out so well, but here is what the cave actually looked like (photo from a website). 

Marsupial Lion

Zygomaturus - Another Superfauna found in and around the cave

 

Inside Mammoth Cave

After we visited the cave we headed back to the accommodation to meet up with the others. A friend of the others came to visit, Al (she took production shots of Tashi for us and also production shots of R&J). She lives in Perth now and came on our trips around the wineries. We all set off to the first winery which was close to our hotel called Cape Mantelle. It was quite small but at the front they had an area which could be set up to watch outdoor movies (Margaret River seems like a great place to live with lots to do!). We did a wine tasting and I chose to buy a bottle of the Wallcliffe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. The palate is apparently "Bright and concentrated flavours including lime, star fruit, and gun smoke balanced by a tight minerally structure with incredible length and intensity". Very good, very good. I decided I think I like mineral or oak flavoured white wines. That one was packed up in a crate of six with the others' selections and sent straight home!

The next winery we headed to was Vasse Felix which was also where we booked for lunch. We had a wine tasting, I think the wines here weren't as good as the first place even though it was very fancy. They didn't have as much body I think. I can't remember which wine I bought here whether it was a Chardonnay or another Savignon Blanc Semillon. I guess I will see when I unpack them all! We all had a three course lunch which was very fancy and delicious. I had duck fat potatoes for entree, rabbit parpadelle for main and a lemon meringue for dessert with the champagne for wine. Lucky for me the others paid for my meal for my birthday! The setting was quite cool, the building looked like a big treehouse.

My Lunch

After this we headed to Voyager Estate which was very fancy! It had gardens with roses and was a very opulent looking building. We had to be quick though because we were running out of time before the wineries shut! I ended up buying three bottles of wine here! I bought Will a bottle of Cabernet Merlot ("A rich and concentrated wine with fresh summer berry, cherry and plum fruits.  The palate is soft and juicy with hints of vanilla, spice and nougat, supported by fine-grained tannins and perfectly integrated French and American oak") and for myself two bottles of Chenin Blanc. I had never heard of Chenin Blanc before I went on this tour but it is "a versatile zesty white wine", which I think means that it can taste lots of different ways. This particular one tasted a bit like a fruit bowl but wasn't too sweet which I liked.

It was time for our final winery stop and we headed to Leeuwin Estate. We got there just in time as they were about to close so we tasted quickly. I bought one last bottle (so I had at least one from everywhere) which was a Riesling ("Freshly cut limes, lemon sorbet and hints of Granny Smith apples combine with heightened floral notes, hints of sweet spice and fragrant kaffir lime leaf.
The palate is taut and fine with bursting Tahitian lime and lemon pith. Lively and racy acid underpins the palate throughout. Mineral and flint characters make this vintage one of our finest.").

We finished off the day by driving to the beach to eat some cheese, cured meats and crackers, drink a free bottle of wine we got at Cape Mantelle and watch the sun go down. It was a bit of a cloudy day but luckily for us the sun made an appearance. We sat there until the mozzies started to get too much and then drove back to the hotel. All wined and dined a few of us spent the evening by the fireplace playing games a bit similar to charades I guess, where you had to pick a celebrity or characters name out of the hat and then describe them without using their name. In the second round you could only use one word to describe them and in the third round you could only use actions. It was pretty hilarious!

The next morning we all got up to begin the journey to Bunbury. I was a bit sad to leave Margaret River, it was a beautiful place with lots to do. After breakfast at a cafe we set off on the road. We arrived in Bunbury at about 12 midday and went and got some food and groceries from Woolworths. I spent the afternoon in my room watching movies. I watched the end of one called The Fifth Estate about Julian Assange and the beginning of one called Now You See Me about magicians. I didn't get to see the end of that one but I would like to. We had our lighting plot that evening and then I headed back to my room to watch Q&A and eat my microwave curry.

The next morning I got up a bit early than I needed to and went for a walk to the lighthouse and beach near Bunbury. It was maybe a 10 minute walk and it was hot! The beach was pretty though and there were a few dogs around. The lighthouse was all checkered and looked like something out of Noddy.

The beach at Bunbury

Two shows at Bunbury (very hot and humid! I had to take my Tashi hat off between shows), bump out and off to Mandurah (which is actually pronounced Mandra). In Mandurah we were staying in a Sebel which was very fancy and overlooked the water. I went to get dinner and the lady at the restaurant was a bit rude! Oh well. I had a green curry in my room and drank some lemonade. The next day we had one show in Mandurah at 11am because the 1pm show was cancelled. After the show and bump out Neridah and I went to get fish and chips by the water. It was rainy and a bit miserable but the worst thing was that when Neridah went inside to get sauce all of these seagulls surrounded me! I stood up to shoo one away but then one tried to get my food from behind me so I went to shoo that one then one came from the other side until they were coming at me from all directions!! I'm a bit scared of birds so I panicked and started calling out "Neridah!" I grabbed the plates and ran inside. There was a family inside laughing at me which is fair because I probably looked ridiculous. Aside from that the lunch was nice, I had a piece of snapper, salad and chips. That afternoon I went for a walk even though it was still raining and stormy. The water was so beautiful but there was a point where there were lots of seagulls again! They kept flying over my head and they were screeching aggressively! I walked down a side street and lost them! On my way back to the hotel I saw a pelican bobbing in the water near a little sheltered area beside the water. I wanted to get a picture of him close up so I went into the shelter but careful not to scare him. He looked at me and kept swimming, letting me take lots of photos. Eventually he moved off to the side as if to say "Look at this" and I looked out at the water. I saw a fin cutting through the water. Shark? No wait, two fins. There were dolphins! I saw about 15 to 20 dolphins playing in groups of two and three and jumping out of the water flicking their tails. It was amazing! One of the best experiences I've ever had, made all the more special because I was out all alone in the wind and the rain. Lucky me.

My pelican friend

For dinner Neridah and I went to the pub below the hotel which did half price Wednesdays. It was alright for $10 and we had two glasses of wine each. The next day it was off to Geraldton which was 432kms. I think we are all over traveling a little bit. Unfortunately when we got to the rooms they smelt! Neridah's was the worst, it smelt like toilet cleaner and her window wouldn't open and her air conditioning wouldn't work to clear the smell! I went for a walk and saw some kids playing on the beach and what looked like an after school surfing lesson. We got a complimentary drink with our rooms so we went to the restaurant and had that and some peanuts. Afterwards Fi, Thom and I went to Chinese for dinner which was quite nice. Next morning it was up for 2 shows which were at 1pm and 630pm. Even though I was a bit grumpy and homesick today the shows cheered me up so much! The kids were so outgoing and friendly, they weren't afraid to talk to us and I had fun just chatting! It was almost a shame to have to go up on the stage to do the show. After the second show we all heated up our microwave meals at the theatre (only a kettle in our rooms) and the staff brought us free drinks! We walked home and collapsed in bed.

Saturday saw us up at 7am to get on the road to Carnarvon. We were worried that our trip might be lengthened significantly by detours due to flooding. Luckily for us we could go on the highway and the trip ended up taking about five hours. It was an eventful drive however as Thom left his wallet on the roof of the car and it flung off as soon as they started driving! We were in the car behind and had to ring them to say something had flown off the top of the car. When they realised it was Thom's wallet they turned around to go retrieve it. The whole thing had flown open and apparently his cards were all over the road and his money was stuck to bushes! All up he lost about $75 but they all thought it was hilarious! Our car was more in shock at having a UFO flying at us on the highway.

The landscape here is quite different to what I've seen before, such red earth and searing sun. I have never seen so many dead cows on the road (I saw about 5 in various states of decay) with their legs up in the air. We arrived in Carnarvon around 130pm and sat in the pool area at our hotel to have sandwiches. The afternoon consisted of a nap and some yoga. My knees and back have been really sore lately and I think it's a combination of doing the show and not stretching. I've never realised how important stretching is until now - it was pretty painful squatting and crawling in the show with sore knees! Dinner at the hotel restaurant was yummy and fun, we had a very bizarre waiter who wasn't a very good waiter at all! But he was pretty strange!

Today we had a free continental breakfast at the hotel and Neridah and I went for a drive around Carnarvon to see what the town was like. It's quite empty feeling and strange because there are some streets and parts of town which are full of older poorer looking houses and then right across the road are massive fancy houses on the water. I think there are lots of different types of people here. It is also actually strange seeing Aboriginal people around town. I never quite realised before how white Brisbane is, whereas a lot of other cities I've visited over the past few months have people from all different cultures mixed up together (Indigenous, Lebanese, Italian, Greek, Chinese etc). It's good to see other towns and the mixes of people there. Neridah and I went to the One Mile Jetty which goes off the coast into the water. We had a coffee and walked along the jetty. There were lots of old trains and trucks in the precinct which were interesting. The water here in WA is beautiful! I'm not sure why it is a different colour? Maybe to do with the salinity or what else is in the water? I got excited when there were brochures for swimming with Whale Sharks at Ningaloo Reef in reception but then I realised that is a few hours away and was a bit disappointed. Oh well, I'll have to come back.

One Mile Jetty

 Tomorrow we have one show in Carnarvon. Tuesday we will travel to Port Hedland, hopefully we can get through (the road are currently closed due to flooding) and then we're onto our final stop, Darwin! 9 sleeps until I'm back in Brisbane! Wow that has gone quickly!

What's going on with you?

Steph x

Bright and concentrated flavours including lime, star fruit and gun smoke balanced by a tight minerally structure with incredible length and intensity. - See more at: http://www.capementelle.com.au/product/Wallcliffe-Sauvignon-Blanc-Semillon-2011#sthash.WUUUxYRt.dpuf

Bright and concentrated flavours including lime, star fruit and gun smoke balanced by a tight minerally structure with incredible length and intensity. - See more at: http://www.capementelle.com.au/product/Wallcliffe-Sauvignon-Blanc-Semillon-2011#sthash.WUUUxYRt.dpuf

Bright and concentrated flavours including lime, star fruit and gun smoke balanced by a tight minerally structure with incredible length and intensity. - See more at: http://www.capementelle.com.au/product/Wallcliffe-Sauvignon-Blanc-Semillon-2011#sthash.WUUUxYRt.dpuf

What's been happening?

Rightio, so I thought I better update you all! We are currently in the middle of week three of the term (7 to go... Not that I'm counting or anything!) Last week felt like the longest week on the planet, it just seemed to drag on and on. This might have been because it was our first full week back at school, our first week only had two days!

So let's all travel back to week one of school, I flew home (back to Charleville) on Easter Monday. Flew home to a nice and balmly 32 degrees! (Practically cold compared to what the temperature was when I flew to Brisbane, 39 degrees!). We then had what's called a 'travel day' where the teachers and students aren't required to be at school, however all the staff was there anyway! This was a great day, we went out for lunch (at the RSL) and I had a good catch up with everyone. Then the dreaded kids came back... dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn! :P Anyway, they came back and we had a great two days, they were very calm and I was convinced they had plotted against me and were lulling me into a false sense of security! We then had ANZAC day, where we had to march as a school and be a part of the ceremony. This was believe it or not, the first march and ceremony I had ever been too. I, of course got sunburnt because it wasn't nice and cool it was a good 30 degrees in the sun! Mum, Dad, Aunty Jan and Uncle Bob all arrived on Friday afternoon to stay the evening. They left at about 8:30 Saturday morning heading to Longreach, then up to Cloncurry/Mt Isa and then west towards Alice Springs. They're on their way to Uluru! Mum and Dad traded the outlander and bought a pajero specially for the trip! It was nice to see them, plus mum made me some savoury mince to put in the freezer! The rest of the that weekend was full of planning, along with last weekend!

So, as you all know last weekend was the ball and that was a great night. They had a photobooth and a girl with a guitar as the entertainment. The girl was really good, however they needed another kind of band or DJ, or even an iPod would have been better for dancing...

Winter is definitely coming, we've had a cold snap that started at the end of last week. (Like most of QLD and NSW). It got down to 2 degrees on Saturday and Sunday morning and was a chilly 1 degree when I went to work yesterday morning! Though we've been warming up to about 17/18 most days. It is supposed to get back to 26 later this week though! :(

Anyway, now that I've updated you with the weather! Ha ha ha.... I'll leave you all be. Nothing much is happening here. Very much the same day in day out. Steph I've been really enjoying reading your posts, all those places you've been too! Not long now until you're back in Brisbane! You, me and Luisa will need to catch up when I'm back for holidays (end of June). We could even Skype you, Bec!

Lots of Love,
Erin xxx

Coming to you from Margaret River

Long time no write! I'm in Margaret River currently (wow, life's tough!) and enjoying a piece of dark chocolate.

Since I last wrote I've traveled around WA a bit and seen some beautiful sights!

The day after Easter Tuesday we left windy, rainy Melbourne for warm, dusty Perth. After a 4 hour flight and a 3 hour drive we arrived in Merredin. The theatre was a very small town hall converted into a theatre. IThe theatre only had two volunteers do to tech so we all pitched in to help bump in. After the majority of the work had been done we went to the Emperor Palace Chinese restaurant (apparently the best place in town). There were chinese horoscope sheets of paper as placemats with all the different animal signs with the years which were those signs underneath. It was pretty funny when I realised the page didn't have 1992 listed - which made those pieces of paper older than me. We knew we weren't in Melbourne anymore when the rice came out with a piece of lint attached! Aside from that the meal was pretty delicious. Merredin was a nice little town, everyone was friendly and it was so small that they all seemed to know each other.

The next day we had one show at 1030am. It was very sweet and the audience was appreciative (but a bit awkward to talk to!). But the best bit was the cupcake stall in the foyer selling cupcakes for Year 6 camp! They were amazing and creamy! After the show we bumped out and started the 4 hour drive to Kalgoorlie. We were staying at the Rydges in Kalgoorlie (fancy!). The best part of the hotel was that there were lots of gumtrees planted around the grounds and the smell reminded me of family holidays to the Sunshine Coast when I was little. For dinner Neridah and I went to the pub and it was quite delicious! I had chicken breast with a yummy creamy sauce and chips and salad. When we were leaving the pub I saw the pub around the corner which had a big blackboard sign outside that said "Skimpies for this week: Jazz, Danni, Alyce". Later on I told Will and apparently a skimpy is "A female bartender who takes her clothes off if she collects enough in tips. Common in the city of Kalgoorlie." So it was a cultural thing!

The next day we got some groceries and went to look at the Super Pit (the main attraction of Kalgoorlie). The Super Pit is basically a big gold mine. It was very impressive and kind of scary to look at. We had two performances at 1pm and 6pm, then bump out! There was a very cute boy who was the son of one of the technicians. He was very excited about the show and told me that his favourite colour was red! I had a microwave curry for dinner and watched So You Think You Can Dance.

The Super Pit

Friday was ANZAC day. We set off in the morning to catch the ANZAC Parade. There were bagpipers, army cadets, police cadets, contingents from New Zealand and families marching. After the march we all headed into the Town Hall for the service. It included all of the standard ANZAC service features such as the slightly out of time and out of tune choir, the brass band, the several monotonous speakers, the ode, minute of silence and ANZAC day hymns. It was comforting to have all the same things as back home except I was missing being in the march in Brisbane and playing my drum. The service happened in this beautiful old town hall from the 1800s and it was nice to partake in a community event. Afterwards we all headed to the RSL for a sausage roll and a beer. There was Maori singing, more bagpiping and two-up. We definitely felt a bit odd one out though, as we clearly were not from Kalgoorlie! Then we headed back to the pub and had a delicious lunch. It felt like time for a nap but a few of us wanted to find the infamous two up school (also described as the two up arena or two up shed). Apparently it was down a dirt road 15 minutes out of town. So we all loaded into a car and set off. Strangely there was no address for the shed and it was pointed out directly on any map! We searched for about 30mins down dirt tracks and saw some truly bizarre things along the way. We enjoyed freaking ourselves out with several sinister scenarios (my favourite was that the two up arena was a farce to lure unsuspecting tourists in!). Finally though we found the two up arena!... It was an old shed and there wasn't even a two up game on!! Not even on ANZAC day. Instead we made up our own bastardised version of the game. We all went a bit crazy and hysterical!! It was a lot of fun!

The Kalgoorlie Town Hall

The Two Up Shed

 On Saturday we had one more visit to the Super Pit and began the 390km drive to Esperance. When we arrived there however there was no one at the All Seasons Motel! Apparently no one works on the weekends so all of our keys were in our rooms. I didn't actually see any staff for the whole time we stayed in Esperance. After a trip to Woolworths Neridah and I went to look at the port and go for a walk. The water here was absolutely beautiful!! Fi made us all creamy salmon pasta for dinner which was delicious. It was nice to share a dinner together like a little family, made me realise how much I miss eating in a group. After dinner we all went a little crazy considering we had the whole hotel to ourselves and no staff there!! We all ended up going to bed about 1am and it was good to let our hair down after a lot of traveling.


The next day (a few people woke up with sore heads!) we went to see the lookout. You could see more of the fantastic beaches and we ventured across lots of rocks and cliffs to look over the landscape. The wind up there was pretty blustery but the view was great! Afterwards we drove along the Ocean Road (I think it was called) and viewed more of the stunning coastline. We eventually stopped off at an inlet which was near a rock formation called Frog Island. The sand was so white and the water was such an incredible water! A few of us decided to risk it and take a dip! It was incredible! Such a scenic location, beautiful clear water, fine white sand and crazy rocks around us! We all rubbed some sand on our faces and it was a great exfoliator! Even though cold at first the water was actually a great temperature. After our beach adventures we went back to the motel for a carpark barbeque. It was a great spread with chilli corn, marinated chicken, greek salad, fresh bread, mixed vegetables - yum!

Frog Island is the one to the left in the photo

We had Monday off as well! I can't remember much of what we did that day but in the afternoon the girls decided to try a Michelle Bridges abs, bum and thighs DVD Fi bought. Michelle worked us hard! Then we did an hour of yoga! So we did a big exercise session which was a bit hilarious and fun (but hard work). Afterwards a few of us went to a place called Pink Lake and got there around sunset. Another stunning feature of Esperance. Great feast for dinner, this time a Mexican mix of vegetarian chilli con carne, guacomole, tacos and rice. Yum! Pretty impressed with my chilli con carne - will have to make that one again!

Tuesday was kind of a day off as the performers only had to come in for lighting plot in the afternoon. Neridah and I decided to take a trip to the Cape Le Grand National Park. IT WAS AMAZING! One of the best things I've seen. It was a massive park with rocks and cliffs and red earth and heaps of stunning bays! It was almost too much to take in. I would love to go back there and stay in a camping spot. It was definitely a must see.

Cape Le Grand National Park

By Wednesday it was finally time to perform again! I felt a bit grumpy today but the shows were alright. Bump out and pizza for dinner! Thursday was a travel day to Albany. It was actually a much bigger town than Esperance and they had a great new theatre there right on the waterfront so it would have been good to perform there but we were just passing through. Neridah and I went for a look around town and it seemed a little bit like Montville. There were lots of poshy shops for tourists and beautiful old buildings. There were also a few grocers and health food stores that had yummy looking beans and spices and produce. Time for another Michelle workout! After Michelle I went and helped Cam with a self test for a Griffith film school film which was interesting (and looked like a scary thing to have to do!). Then it was time for dinner, we got take away from an Indian place down the road, I had Saag Paneer which is a spinach and cheese curry, it was amazing and the garlic naan was delicious! I also watched the So You Think You Can Dance finale and Paula Abdul's dress looked so ridiculous!!

Friday saw us continue our travels to Margaret River. I was a bit tired and grumpy today but the drive was beautiful, full of trees and forests. We all wanted to stop off at the treetop walks and all the fudge and chocolate cafes along the road. But there was bump in to be done! After lunch at the pub (it's a really fancy pub!) I was REALLY tired and grumpy!! Went straight to bed for a big nap. Woke up feeling a lot better and went for a walk. I met a Shetland pony and fed him some grass from my side of the fence. Horses have such funny big lips! It was very furry and had a cute fringe. It's always comforting smelling log fires. I called Will and had a nice chat. After the lighting plot we went back to the pub for dinner (the boys love it there!). This time I had a thai beef salad but the best bit about the meal was the gluten free brownie with salted caramel icecream. It was a real cakey brownie and it was so delicious!!

My Shetland Pony

There were only 40 tickets sold to the first show this morning and 80 to the second so we got to the theatre early and walked around the markets close by and handed out flyers. Lucky for us, 100 people ended up coming to the first show and 180 to the second!! They were really lovely audiences, the audiences in places where there are farms and fresh produce always seem to be friendly, happy people. There were a few really big Tashi fans there too! I also received my third loom band! They are like rubber bands all threaded together to make bracelets. I had been given two already but the one today was extra special. His mum told Neridah he had been thinking about the band all week trying to decide which colours Tashi would like. I have all three bands in my wallet, it is very special! After bump out Fi, Neridah and I headed straight to the car to get to the chocolate company and cheese factory before they closed. It is so comforting and relaxing being out amongst the farms and animals. The chocolate factory was overwhelming - so many different kinds of all chocolates! We also had afternoon tea which was delicious. We headed to the cheese factory and bought some cheese as well. Yum yum! In the car I was talking to Fi about her sister who is a farmer, it reminded me of our plans to live together self sufficiently in grade 8, Luisa haha. When we got home I went for a quick run and then the girls all went to dinner at the hotel. I had a curry and a white wine, more deliciousness! We are truly being spoilt!

Tomorrow we are going to look at caves, wineries, have a nice lunch and watch the sunset over the water with our cheese. Pretty grateful right now!

Please write soon! I'd love to hear from you and what's going on! (Sorry I write so much, I'm keeping it for a diary too so I don't forget what I did!)

Love! xx